Teads (NASDAQ: TEAD), an omnichannel outcomes platform for the open internet, has promoted Alex Savic to Managing Director of Europe and MENA as the company strengthens its commercial organization for global growth. In this expanded leadership role, Savic will oversee all commercial operations across key markets in Europe and the Middle East and North Africa, while continuing to serve as Teads’ global commercial lead for Teads Ad Manager (TAM). Over 12 years at Teads, Savic has held several strategic roles across the company’s global footprint—including Managing Director for Switzerland and Austria, Head of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and DACH, and most recently, adding oversight of LATAM and Israel to his remit following the merger between Outbrain and Teads.
Fuse, the global sports and entertainment marketing agency part of Omnicom Media Group, has announced that Lucy Basden-Smith will be joining as Managing Director, further strengthening its world-class leadership team. Basden-Smith brings more than 18 years of experience in sport, culture and entertainment. She joins from Havas Play, where she had been Managing Director since January 2024. As Managing Director, Basden-Smith will be working closely and reporting into Fuse’s Global CEO, Louise Johnson, ensuring the agency continues to deliver innovative, insight-driven and measurable work. Additionally, she will be part of Fuse’s International Executive Leadership Team and the Global Steering Group, working closely with senior leaders to drive strategic alignment across the agency’s global footprint.
Global challenger agency VCCP has appointed multi award-winning creative Yan Elliott as Creative Director, bringing one of the industry’s most celebrated advertising minds to its growing creative team. With 25 years of experience across many of London’s top agencies – including Mother, Engine, Lucky Generals, The&Partnership and AMV BBDO – Elliott has created some of advertising’s most iconic and enduring work. His career highlights include the cult classic Dr Pepper ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’, the Orange ‘Gold Spots’ cinema campaign, and the launch of Sky’s long-running ‘Believe in Better’ platform. He has also worked with rising talent before their breakthrough moments, casting young actors Martin Freeman in Super Noodles and Jesse Eisenberg in Dr Pepper. At VCCP, Elliott will serve as Creative Director on Barclays alongside other VCCP clients, bringing his experience and distinctive creative spirit to one of the agency’s biggest global clients.
Independent creative agency Neverland has appointed Claudia Wallace as its first Chief Client Officer. Wallace joins the agency after a series of pitch wins and to meet the increasing demand of the agency’s integrated strategic and creative offering. Wallace will shape Neverland’s client experience alongside its senior management team ensuring the “Neverland difference” is felt in every aspect of Neverland’s offering. A graduate of the prestigious WPP Fellowship, Wallace has built her career leading creative and media agencies in New York, Singapore, and London, most recently serving as Managing Director at VML, where she led major global accounts and new business efforts.
Audience measurement platform AudienceProject has appoited Bruno Furnari as Chief Product & Technology Officer. He will lead AudienceProject’s product and technology strategy to scale its SaaS platform and strengthen its position as a trusted, independent provider of cross-media measurement. Furnari joins AudienceProject from Amazon, where he spearheaded innovations in ad tech and infrastructure, including generative AI-based creative technology solutions and cross-publisher ad serving and measurement solutions, as General Manager / Director of Product & Tech at Amazon Ads. Before Amazon, he spent a decade at Nielsen, where he advanced its post-cookie measurement methodology, launched its audience segmentation business, and helped establish the Nielsen Marketing Cloud.
The Financial Times has announced the appointment of Rebecca Salsbury as chief product and technology officer (CPTO) from January 2026. She will also join the FT Group Management Board. Salsbury, who joined the FT in 2023 as chief technology officer, has been instrumental in shaping and delivering the technology strategy and direction across all FT Group companies. In addition to her tenure at the FT, she brings a significant track record of success at other media businesses, including over a decade at the BBC, where she was responsible for platform services underpinning all digital products.
